(Reopens DEL 21)

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government has put the administration of the respective districts on alert even as the Navy assumed a "high degree" of preparedness to involve itself for possible rescue operations. State Revenue Minister RB Uthayakumar said the district administration of Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallore and Villupuram have put in preventive steps to avoid any inconvenience to the public and are prepared to face any eventuality.

The Eastern Naval Command (ENC), for its part, "has assumed high degree of readiness to render necessary assistance." "All operational ships have been readied up and kept standby to undertake Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations including evacuation, should the situation demand," a PIB (Defence) release said.

These ships were embarked with additional divers, doctors, inflatable rubber boats, integral helicopters and relief material that include food, tentage, clothes, medicines and blankets, it said.

Further,

30 diving teams with Gemini boats and four platoons with additional relief material are ready to be pressed into action at short notice, it said.

The ENC is closely monitoring the situation and is in constant communication with the state administration to augment rescue and relief operations, it said.

Naval aircraft were also "standing by" at the Naval Air stations Rajali and Dega to undertake reconnaissance, rescue, casualty evacuation and air drop of relief material to the stranded, it added. PTI SA RC SRY

This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.

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